There aren’t many players on a richer run of form in the Isuzu UTE A-League than Brisbane Roar creator Jay O’Shea.
His sixth goal in seven games helped to lift the Queenslanders to a 3-0 win over Newcastle Jets, and off the foot of the table. The Irishman is enjoying his best scoring season to date in orange; eight goals in 21 games throughout the 2022-23 campaign is double his previous best of four recorded across 27 games in 2020-21.
O’Shea scored his eighth of the campaign from the spot against the Jets. He was unfazed by the mind games of goalkeeper Michael Weier before the spot kick, sending the Jets custodian the wrong way to send Brisbane two goals clear and en route to a win that has recharged his side’s pursuit of a spot in the finals.
O’Shea rushed toward the corner flag after scoring from the spot, before delivering a head-turning dance celebration.
In the post-match, he dedicated that celebration to his daughter.
“That was for my little girl,” he told Paramount+.
“We were practising on the beach the other day, so I’m just going to keep practising the celebrations, and hopefully the goals will keep coming.”
That penalty was O’Shea’s fifth goal in as many games. He became just the third men’s player in Brisbane Roar history to achieve that particular milestone. Jamie Maclaren scored in five consecutive games in 2016; O’Shea is now just one goal shy of equalling Besart Berisha’s club record of six which the A-League Men’s all-time record goalscorer notched in 2012.
Roar interim boss Nick Green hailed O’Shea’s impact at the club, but was eager to spread the plaudits to all of his players for the collective performance in a 3-0 win over the Jets.
“Jay has been tremendous,” Green told Paramount+.” He’s a model professional, he gets on with it, never really complains, just gets on with what he’s asked to do… we know he can impact games and he is doing that for us.
“He helps us. But what we do well, is we do it together. It’s not just about one player, it’s about the group collectively.”
Featured image credit: @CaptureOne
MATCH REPORT
Joe Gould, AAP
Brisbane sharp shooter Jay O’Shea scored his fifth goal in as many games to ensure a 3-0 win over Newcastle and keep his side’s Isuzu UTE A-League finals hopes alive.
O’Shea was superb going forward for the Roar who dominated the match at Redcliffe with attacking flair in their best performance of the season.
The Irishman’s penalty in the 70th minute secured the victory after Henry Hore had scored in the first half for the hosts.
The win took Brisbane momentarily at least from 12th, and bottom, to eighth with 26 points and now only three behind sixth-placed Sydney FC.
The Jets are now winless in their past six games but still in the finals hunt, also on 26 points, but they lacked punch and effort.
Newcastle were without their season’s leading goal scorer Beka Mikeltadze who sustained a shoulder injury in last week’s draw against Melbourne City.
Roar coach Nick Green made four changes to the side that lost 4-1 in their last start to Central Coast.
Both sides had their chances in the first half. The best of them was for Roar’s Serbian import Stefan Scepovic who headed just wide after a superb cross from Kai Trewin after Newcastle’s Angus Thurgate had shot over the bar.
Brisbane were fulling of running at home and scored in the 34th minute through Hore after a slick ball from Trewin. Hore turned on the edge of the box and with his second touch snuck his shot inside the right post.
The Roar received great service from Hore, O’Shea and Jez Lofthouse with the trio’s attacking nous always to the fore.
Hore was ruled by VAR to have been fouled by Thurgate in the box after the break, much to the displeasure of the visitors, and O’Shea stepped up to nail the penalty and keep the home side’s finals hopes alive.
Scepovic added a third at the death to give Brisbane an emphatic win, sweet revenge after losing 4-0 earlier this year to the Jets.
“Everyone was trying to positive playing forward, getting in people’s faces and it was good to see the ball go in the back of the net,” Lofthouse said.
Newcastle captain Matt Jurman was unimpresed with Hore being awarded the spot kick, saying he was “playing (for) the penalty” all game but added his team were “disappointing”.
